


The Hardest Words

by orphan_account



Category: Night at the Museum (2006 2009)
Genre: Angst, Goodbyes, M/M, NATM3 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-03-23
Packaged: 2018-03-19 06:06:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3599202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What is right is almost never what is easy. Jedediah and Octavius say goodbye at the end of NATM3.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hardest Words

The diorama room was silent, with the exception of the sound of the two miniatures walking through it. Following their goodbyes with Larry (and the consequent attempted hug of Larry’s fingers), he had dropped them off in Rome so they could say their own goodbyes in private. The first thing they noticed when they landed in the city was the collection of soldiers frozen at one end of the diorama - two rows of Octavius’ finest, each lining either side of a large tunnel, leading through the wall to the other side, right into the heart of the western diorama. 

“Man, they probably spent all night fixing this up for us.” Jed remarked as they walked together down the new addition. 

“And they can’t even see our appreciation for it.” Octavius sighed, his arm tucked into the crook of Jedediah’s elbow. “It’s rather a sad state of affairs.” 

“You said it boy. Hey, d’you think Angus and Cassius here ever made up their differences?” 

“I hope they did- oh look, it seems like they did. Look at their faces - they’re looking at each other down the tunnel.” 

“Is that a smile on ol’ Cassius’ face, I see?” Jedediah looked back and forward at the two second in commands, who were stood in front of the tunnel entrances, seemingly entranced by the other. “You don’t think-?” 

“Maybe, maybe.” Octavius mused, following Jedediah’s line of thought. “There is a fine line between love and hate, and Cassius was certainly very interested in Angus’ work when I spoke to him last…” 

They drew to a stop near the middle of the tunnel. They turned to face each other, their linked arms sliding back to their sides. For a few moments, neither of them spoke, and neither of them could look the other in the face. Jedediah was hiding his face beneath his hat, whilst Octavius was staring at the wall behind him, neither willing nor wanting to make the first stab at farewell. 

“I don’t want to say goodbye.” The admission was made quietly by Jedediah, so quietly that had any other noise been present in the diorama room, his words would’ve been missed. Octavius only smiled sadly in response, and reached out for his hand. 

“We have to, Jedediah.” he replied, his voice full of sorrow. “Even though I share your sentiments.” 

“We could just stay here,” Jedediah remarked with a quiet desperation. “Stay here, out of our dioramas. Holdin’ onto each other so they can’t tear us apart. We could do that, we could-” 

“You know we could not.” Octavius interrupted gently. “We would probably thrown out so new, seperate miniatures of us could be made. And then we’ll never wake up to see each other again.” 

“Gigantor won’t let them throw us out. He’d probably- he’d probably steal us, and take us home. Stick us on top of his bookshelf or something.” He heard Octavius snort beside him, and he let his lips twist into a wry grin, thinking about the ridiculousness of Larry keeping a cowboy and his roman locked in eternal embrace on top of the battered copy of those instructions he’d been given all that time ago. 

“You really think we’re going to wake up again, Ockie?” he asked softly, once their mirth drained away. 

“If I didn’t believe so.” Octavius replied just as quietly. “I wouldn’t be able to let you go.” 

Jedediah looked over at Octavius, a lump in his throat and a pain in his heart that he could not bear. Octavius looked back, his eyes filled with tears, even though he was doing his best to hide his upset behind a watery smile. It was too much - Jedediah could not do anything but pull the other man into his arms, and bury his face in his neck. He felt Octavius’ shoulders hitch once, twice, before strong arms crushed him into their owner’s metal chest plate and Octavius was sobbing and shaking into his shoulder like a babe. Jedediah could feel his own tears coursing hot and heavy down his cheeks, and for once that night, he was pleased his diorama was still and quiet so they did not see his vulnerability. He fisted his hands in Octavius’ cape as if it were a comfort blanket, and sobbed silently into Octavius’ shoulder. 

He did not know how much time had passed, only that at some point their shaking had ceased to a fine tremor, his tears had dried to an uncomfortable crust, Octavius death grip on him had loosened and he was pressing comforting feather light kisses to Jedediah’s hair and his neck. Jed simply stayed in his arms, eyes closed in exhaustion, allowing himself to be comforted in a way that he might have balked at had it been any other time than then. 

“Sunrise in a minute. Last minute poses, everyone.” 

Jedediah felt Octavius still against him, before he slumped with a sigh. He pulled away slightly, and Jedediah had to fight the childish urge to tighten his grip and not let go. He made a conscious effort to release each of his fingers so Octavius could get some space. Octavius’ face was blotchy and red, and Jedediah knew that he probably looked just as much a mess, and some small voice at the back of Jedediah’s mind hoped to any deity that Larry would clean off their faces before leaving but he could not drag his eyes away what would be the last he would see of his Roman love. 

Octavius leant forward, and pressed the sweetest of kisses to Jedediah’s lips. It could not be mistaken for anything other than a kiss of farewell. Jedediah gave him a small, sad smile when they broke apart, feeling as if he were made from spun glass, about to break at any moment. He turned and walked back to his end of the tunnel, hearing the echoing clank of Octavius’ armour as he did the same. He came to the mouth of the tunnel and stopped, looking at his horse and the happily awaiting western men, all frozen in joyous patience, waiting to show their esteemed leader what they had done for him. They had built this tunnel for him, so that he could visit his Roman partner without committing a series of death defying stunts to get across to the other diorama, or having to wait for Larry to come around on his rounds. They had understood before he had even realised that the western diorama wasn’t home any more to Jedediah, and had helped him in the only way they knew how. And that kind of unsaid understanding hurt more than anything. 

He looked back at Octavius. 

Octavius looked back at him. 

In the brief moment when their eyes met, something snapped inside Jedediah’s fragile heart. His people were right, this wasn’t home any more, the land of sand and railroad coal was no longer home, home was the man stood far too far away, home was the Roman centurion looking at him with hurting eyes. Home was in the arms of Octavius, home was taking selfies with his friend on the reception computer, home was attempting to play fruit ninja with four sets of miniature hands, home was designing and building the typing apparatus out of pencils and elastic bands and lying on his stomach watching Octavius command his soldiers to lift and making everything just so. 

He couldn’t leave his home behind. 

He stepped back towards Octavius, one step, then a stumble, then another step, and another until he was running full pelt back down the tunnel. Octavius eyes widened, before he too was running back towards the other man. Jedediah could feel the familiar heaviness set into his bones, and he knew without a doubt that he wasn’t going to make it, but he reached out and tried anyway, his arm stretched right out, his fingers brushing Octavius’ hand that had come out to meet it- 

Larry found them in the tunnel on his last round of the museum, their faces blotched with tears and their hands reaching but not quite touching. Larry carefully wiped them down with a cotton swab before returning each one to their respective dioramas, wondering all the while, not for the first time, whether leaving Ahk behind was the biggest mistake he had ever made. 


End file.
